Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards won the Bathurst 1000 on Sunday by less than half a second from defending champions Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell, giving the troubled Ford factory team its first win in Australia’s leading touring car race.

Winterbottom held his nerve over the final laps of the Mount Panorama circuit to beat Whincup, in a Holden Commodore, by 0.47 seconds, claiming his first win in 10 starts in the endurance race and giving Richards his third Bathurst title.

Whincup, who won last year’s 50th edition by 0.31 seconds, drew alongside Winterbottom’s Ford Falcon a few corners from home but a momentary loss of traction allowed Winterbottom to draw clear and claim the checkered flag.